I have arrived at the opinion that the best cookie of all time is a simple classic - peanut butter. Chewy and glorious with a glass of cold milk, the peanut butter cookie seemed to fall by the wayside when we became distracted by ‘fancy’ things in our cookies like lavender and matcha. The classic peanut butter cookie does that salty/sweet thing like no other, and it's back big time in my kitchen.
Through experimentation with different recipes, and a few adjustments, I have landed on the ultimate version of this cookie classic. Salt is key, along with natural unsweetened peanut butter for maximum nuttiness. These come together in a flash and are out of the oven in 10-12 minutes for a snack worthy of sharing. In fact, my latest batch was shared with some friends who are really going through it. They're just cookies, but they're also more than that. You know?
Here's how to make them.
Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes about 20 cookies
1/2 cup (125 mL) room temperature butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) natural peanut butter (smooth or chunky, your choice)
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar for rolling (about 1/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet, or two medium ones, with parchment and set aside.
Beat butter and peanut butter until well blended. Add sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and beat again until well blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat again. Add the flour and mix until fully incorporated.
Add some additional sugar to a small bowl. Roll cookie dough into 1.5-inch balls and roll each one in sugar to coat. Place balls on cookie sheet(s) leaving two inches between. Press with a fork for that classic peanut butter cookie look.
Bake 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool, or go ahead and eat them warm.